Chapter 18

"......."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

The reason probably wasn't just because Captain Kim's hand was healed.

If it was just something similar to that, Kim Ji-hoo had already shown a precedent of it. Even though it was only self-healing.

But the impact was different.

Unlike Kim Ji-hoo, who just healed with the sound of boiling blood, my ability was accompanied by a tremendous radiance.

It was truly a sight fitting of the word holy.

Albeit belatedly, reactions burst forth like that.

"Sob... To think I would witness the miracle of divine healing like this..."

...Except for this reaction.

I really don't know if this bastard is trying to make fun of me now, or if he's serious.

For now, it seems he's actually shedding tears, though.

...No, I guess it's a reaction a religious person could sufficiently show.

Anyway, looking at the other reactions.

"...I had already seen it once through video, but it is amazing."

Captain Kim muttered like that.

He examined the back of his hand from various angles. The skin had healed smoothly without leaving a single scar.

"Up until now, the supernatural abilities of mutants had a few characteristics. One of those that the military identified was that positive abilities only applied to the caster."

To think mutants had such a characteristic.

But I have never used my healing ability on myself so far.

Rather, I've only used it on others.

"Mr. Han Yoo-jin's ability holds considerable tactical value. I would like to investigate its principles in detail, but... unfortunately, we don't have much time given to us. Even if we research it, there's no guarantee we can figure it out."

Captain Kim said as if it was a pity.

But the word 'principle' he left behind caught my ankle.

I suddenly became curious.

Why does my ability follow a different trajectory from other mutants?

I stealthily looked at Kim Ji-hoo.

As soon as he met my eyes, his eyes sparkled and he reacted enthusiastically.

...I immediately turned my eyes toward the other mutants.

From the owlbear beastman to the naga, the dog beastman, and the orc. Plus the werewolf I saw earlier.

It seems everyone underwent mutations that are hard to consider positive changes.

The plausible cause for that is...

Just what on earth is so special about me that only I met such an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entity.

...It's an unknown matter.

However, if that's what allows me to grab that bitch of a sister by the hair and bring her back, I have to grasp whatever it is.

And... there is still one question remaining.

The power that serves as the archetype of the ability I just unleashed.

What I felt from it was infinite possibilities.

A flow of power like an endless universe.

The ability I just unleashed was nothing more than barely pulling a thin thread.

Meaning it's hard to even consider it a proper technique.

Then, what if I could pull out this thread not as a single strand, but as a whole clump?

Or what if I could pour it out like a massive wave instead of a thread.

Or if not that, what if I knit something with the thread and leave it there...

Just imagining it made my head tingle.

A baseless certainty that I could bring about some greater and more fundamental change beyond the level of just healing wounds.

Right now, I'm barely even able to pull out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that thin thread.

It would be premature to aim for a higher stage already.

But it's a satisfying result.

Just realizing the existence of the power called Holy Power was enough for now.

Anyway, like that, the measurements came to an end.

After the measurements were completed, we returned to the briefing room again.

Perhaps thanks to checking each other's combat power, the atmosphere had lightened up significantly.

But my nerves were entirely hung up on the thin thread of Holy Power.

A feeling that if I just do a little bit more here, something might happen.

But from that precarious sensation, I can't take a single step forward.

Healing to this extent would be possible any number of times, but... the method I'm currently using isn't very efficient.

A few times wouldn't be a problem, but it feels like doing it about 10 times consecutively would be my limit.

Around the time I was deeply engrossed, Captain Kim started speaking with his unchanging, flat voice.

"The combat power analysis of all personnel is complete. To give you the conclusion first, you possess very high combat potential compared to our existing forces. However."

Captain Kim continued while scanning us.

"Right now, the military does not have the capacity to supply custom-made equipment for you. Because everything from military uniforms to bulletproof vests and rifle slings are all tailored to standard body types."

At those words, I glanced at the wings behind my back.

Standard? That word had already left me a long time ago. A height of not even 150cm, and wings that spread wider than most adult men.

There's no way there's a bulletproof vest that fits this. Setting the height aside, just cutting holes for the wings would break the integrity of the ballistic plates.

It was the same for the orc mister and the owlbear old man.

The orc mister's shoulders were so broad that the buttons on any normal top looked ready to pop off, and the owlbear old man's sheer size was twice that of an ordinary person.

"Therefore, the personnel who can operate the currently issuable standard equipment are limited. Mr. Kim Ji-hoo, Ms. Yoo In-ha, and Ms. Min Ah-ji."

Yoo In-ha was the name of the naga, and Min Ah-ji was the name of the dog beastman.

I looked at the three people called.

The fanatic vampire Kim Ji-hoo was pale, but his body type itself was no different from a human's.

The scale-covered naga also had an upper body close to standard specifications, excluding her tail section.

"To the three of you, we will issue individual firearms, along with clothing and protective gear."

"U-um, I'm not confident in handling firearms...!"

The naga beastman, Yoo In-ha, said that.

Indeed, she was a woman. Since she hadn't been to the military, she probably didn't have any experience handling firearms either.

...That was the same for me too, though.

"Then we will assign a separate role to Ms. Yoo In-ha."

"Then what about us?"

When I asked, Captain Kim looked at the three of us with a troubled expression.

Me, the orc mister, and the owlbear old man.

Beings that strayed far from the standard specifications; truly non-standard existences.

"To the three of you... unfortunately, we cannot issue custom-made equipment. Instead, we will substitute it by providing maximum accommodation within the available supplies."

Following Captain Kim's instructions, the adjutants brought in large boxes and toolboxes.

"Mr. Seo Do-yoon."

It was the orc mister's name.

Captain Kim handed him a K3 machine gun, a squad support weapon, instead of the K2 rifle used by regular soldiers.

"Normally it's an item fired by mounting it on a bipod, but with Mr. Seo Do-yoon's muscle strength, we judge that it can be operated like an individual firearm."

"...It's hefty. But there shouldn't be any problem using it."

"Then we'll have Ms. Yoo In-ha take on the role of assistant gunner."

The orc mister lightly lifted the K3 with one hand and smiled as if satisfied.

The machine gun that others would groan while carrying around looked as light as a pistol to him.

Since a bulletproof vest wouldn't fit his size, he secured the minimum level of fixation by wrapping thick nylon straps around his chest and back over the ballistic plates.

It doesn't look very stylish, but his thick skin itself seemed sturdier than most protective suits, so it didn't seem to be a big problem.

At least the orc mister was closer to a human, so it ended at this level, but...

"Mr. Han Jung-seok is... problematic."

To the point where Captain Kim said that, the owlbear old man's size was far too large.

Be it firearms or whatever, it was a situation where none of the military's supplies were compatible with him.

In the end, the owlbear old man was issued a riot shield and a sledgehammer taken from the combat engineers' equipment.

The sound of it cutting through the wind every time he swooshes it around is enough to give me goosebumps.

Honestly, the words of Captain Kim saying it's problematic don't even resonate.

I'm saying this because I don't know much about guns, but honestly, that's scarier than a gun.

And I received a single handgun.

A Glock, was it. I don't remember the name well, but they said it's a gun that can be used lightly.

They said there's also a handgun called K5 or something, but that one is quite difficult to use.

"The conditions are insufficient for you to carry a K2 rifle. For now, this is a temporary issuance, so we will replace it when other supplies come in."

Like that, the rough equipment distribution ended.

Most of it was rule-of-thumb supply, but in my eyes, it looked pretty decent in its own way.

Is it because I haven't served in the military yet?

"The training is scheduled to be completed within a week. We will proceed focusing on basic tactics and firearm proficiency. That is the maximum amount of time we can give you, so please understand."

There were no differing opinions.

Of course, it's an amount of time that makes you wonder if it's possible, but we should at least be able to lay the foundation.

Captain Kim has been constantly showing signs that the military doesn't have much time left anyway.

"...Huh, why is the military working so well?"

Kim Ji-hoo seemed impressed in a different sense, though.

...Is the military not normally like this?

"Then, I will explain the first operation you all will be undertaking."

Along with those words, a map popped up on the screen.